No NFL coach will be defecting for Texas, after all

Posted by Mike Florio on January 4, 2014, 7:51 AM EDT

AP

Several weeks ago, the University of Texas wish list reportedly consisted of multiple current NFL coaches. Now, not.

Multiple reports indicate that Louisville coach Charlie Strong will be taking the job, but there’s just enough wiggle room in those multiple reports to allow for the Papa John’s guy to block the move wit a lifetime supply of pizza. And money.

Regardless, the talk of Texas taking a current coach from an NFL team has died down considerably. At one point, names like 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, Saints coach Sean Payton, Packers coach Mike McCarthy, Eagles coach Chip Kelly, and Seahawks coach Pete Carroll had been linked to the school — even if the interest was unrequited.

Harbaugh seemed to be the most interested, or more accurately the least uninterested. He never ruled out the possibility completely and unequivocally (then again, Nick Saban has ruined forever the “I’m not going to be the [insert program name] coach” approach). And the 49ers wouldn’t have gotten in Harbaugh’s way, if he’d decided to bolt for the burnt orange.

Thus, the rarely-used pipeline from pro football to college football won’t be flowing this year (unless of course the Papa John’s guy persuades Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase Peyton Manning to take over at Louisville). Since Saban left the Dolphins for Alabama in early 2006 and Bobby Petrino abandoned Atlanta for Arkansas in late 2007, no sitting NFL coach has quit his job to go work for a college team.

Charlie should have stayed with Louisville, but I understand he wants to be at a school that gives him a better opportunity to compete for championships on a regular basis. He was probably the 10th option at Texas. Saban, Chucky, Harbaugh, Fisher, Briles, Mora, and probably 3 or more undisclosed coaches were options before him. That alone should have been a sign for him to say no. He could have just waited for the Florida job to open, but I guess he feared that being in a rebuilding year with Louisville would have dampened his star. Now he has 5 years or less to win a National Championship and he needs to be competing for the Big-12 title in 2 years.

Tomlin? Oh right. I can hear it now. “Mike, we’re really impressed with the massive slump you’ve dragged your team into and we’d like to have a taste of that profound disappointment in Texas. How does $80k and a 2000 Dodge Neon sound?”

Hahahahaha Peyton Manning OC, so true. Isn’t it funny how many head coaches owe their jobs to great QB’s. God this league can be brilliant and utterly stupid at the same time. How about interview the guys who do a decent job with awful talent. Marc Trestman is doing good now and he always did good with terrible talent, made Aaron Brooks a star for 1 year.

The ability to communicate with and motivate NFL players is night-and-day with college, especially the young NFL players. That’s why old out-of-touch has-beens (Shanahan) are getting phased out. If you’re a good college coach…..stay there, and vice-versa.